Having won the last five matches between the two sides, there\u2019s an extent to which Liverpool should have been quietly confident heading in to this game. Spurs have had the better start to the season though, remaining unbeaten for the last seven games and only having lost to Manchester United on the opening game of the season.<\/p>\n
Yet current form wasn\u2019t important and neither was the recent history in this particular battle of the North – South divide. This was all about the new man in the Liverpool dugout, Mr. Jurgen Klopp. Having arrived in a hail of excitement from both the Liverpool fans and the British press, the eight days between his official appointment and his first game in charge seemed like an eternity.<\/p>\n
By the time Klopp announced his first ever Liverpool team we\u2019d heard all of the quotes, seen his many celebrations, discussed his arrival with luminaries ranging from Kenny Dalglish through to Alex Ferguson and even been told what clothes he was wearing in his press conferences. The only thing we didn\u2019t know much about what the actual football he was hoping to see Liverpool play, save for it being \u201cfull throttle\u201d.<\/p>\n
Compared to the excitement of the build up, then, some people could be forgiven for thinking the match itself was something of a damp squib. That conclusion, though, would be to undermine just what a difference the enigmatic German seems to have made in a very short space of time at Anfield. With the international break hampering how long he had with his new charges and various injuries taking away the majority of his best players, Klopp could have buried his head in the sand and said \u201ccome back next week\u201d. The injuries in particular are something that mustn\u2019t be forgotten – though we\u2019ve declined the opportunity to make a song and dance about them here – especially seeing as though they left the manager short of quality but long on excuses if he wanted to use them. He didn\u2019t, and Liverpool looked much the better for it. Here we look at the key talking points from the match and the things we felt Herr Klopp will be most impressed by. As always, let us know what you think.<\/p>\n
According to the Urban Dictionary \u2018gegging in\u2019 is a Scouse term and is defined as \u201cthe act of intruding, joining in, becoming part of something which doesn’t concern you\u201d. It\u2019s fitting, then, that most of the talk over the last week or so has been about the \u2018gegenpressing\u2019 that the new Liverpool boss believes is \u201cthe best playmaker in the world\u201d.<\/p>\n
In short, gegenpressing involves the high pressing of opponents when you\u2019ve lost the ball, with the decision to press and the manner in which it is done often decided by specific triggers. It can look wild and unruly at times, but there is method to the madness and when it is done well it can take a team like Borussia Dortmund, with a budget roughly equal to that of Queens Park Rangers, to the Bundesliga title two years in a row at the expense of the far richer Bayern Munich. Done well and with players who know how to do it it can be extraordinarily effective, though to do it properly takes time and a huge amount of hard work.<\/p>\n
\nLiverpool’s heat map. Gegenpressing. pic.twitter.com\/evmppMotTe<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014 Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 17, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n